Walk your way to wellness: Discover new walking trends that transform health
The Early Man didn’t walk so that the Modern Man would someday become a couch potato. Nor did the Modern Man buy a treadmill for a clothes’ hanger. That life has become sedentary is a decades-old grouse. The Chaturvedis, Menons, Ahmads and Basus lean back as the white-capped chauffeur takes them from home to Point B-oardroom. The Modern Man has turned to the Early Man to learn stay-fit tricks. A 2023 research by Harvard Health Publishing claims that walking brings in a host of health benefits. Walking as a daily habit will counter the genes that promote an increase in body weight.
Researchers have dug into as many as 32 obesity-promoting genes in a sample size of over 12,000. They come up with the observation that in those who took a brisk walk for an hour every day, these genes could only do half the damage. The world is walking their talk. Italy’s famed walking route reopened after more than a decade on July 27 this year.
Hailed as the most romantic walk in the world, the Via dell’Amore or ‘Path of Love’ had closed in 2012 after a landslide injured some tourists; it has been extensively renovated. If love is sweet, believe it or balk, walking lets you tackle the sweet tooth, says a 2011 research published in Appetite by the University of Exeter. Use the feet for 15 minutes and the urge to gorge on a wide variety of sugary snacks vanishes.
The benefits of the humble walk are popping up along the path with surprises galore. A 2017 study by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine says that breast cancer risk comes down with walking. According to this research, women who walked at least seven or more hours every week had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer than those who walked only three hours or less during that time.
It’s free, easy and can be done anywhere. It even gives extra protection from cold and flu. A survey, published in PLOS Medicine, of about 4,000 participants in the Indian Migration Study noted people who walk or cycle to work—12.5 per cent walk to work in urban areas—are less likely to be overweight or obese, or get diabetes and high blood pressure. Now, walkers are innovating so that the boring stroll becomes more than passing the usual sites or the monotony of the treadmill.
RUCKING Weight and walk
The easiest way to get some exercise is to start walking. This is the textbook advice of many fitness experts to beginners who have a hard time building a fitness regimen. But what if one wants to maximise one’s efforts in a short period of time? The solution is ‘rucking’—it takes walking a notch higher by adding a little extra weight to the back.
In fitness terminology, rucking is categorised as a low-impact exercise inspired by military training regimens—the word ‘ruck’ comes from rucksack, a bag with shoulder straps that’s carried on the back. Research suggests that this practice has its origin in the 20th century when soldiers would carry their supplies in a backpack.
Delhi-based fitness trainer Rituraj Pandey, 33, says, “Your legs, stomach and arms will have tighter muscles. It is good to start with one to two sessions per week, aiming to eventually build up to the recommended activity per week. In case of elders, it is especially important to choose a backpack or rucksack with adequate padding and proper weight distribution.”
WEIRD WALKING
The outlier experience
Have you ever wanted to turn a casual stroll into a scavenger hunt? Welcome to weird walking. The concept is simple: set off down the street and keep your eyes wide open for weird sights as you roam around. It could be an interesting graffiti, a funny signboard, or an interesting outer wall painting on a house. Then scoop your mobile phone out and take a picture without stopping the walk.
Weird walking was brought into practise by Emilie Leyes, a hypnosis and brain training specialist from New York. It is the perfect choice when you want to step outside and count a few steps. Instead of wandering around aimlessly, the walk gives you a purpose: Go on a mission to find something that catches your eye and, then maybe, take a picture or two. The interesting thing is that it needs your presence of mind. Call it “hunting for funky sights”—be it a wall painting, a peculiar-looking building, or a glittery piece of litter. Finding such an interesting sight can reduce your stress levels. By actively looking around for such a sight, you’re forced to stay focussed and aware of your surroundings.
SILENT WALKING
All quiet on the walking front
This is is the Zen zone. No music or cell phone. No companion to stay in step either. Silent walking is going back to basics, to align the mind and body, putting one foot before the other and keeping all distractions away. It is foot medicine for emotional wellbeing, too.
The popularity of this trend has gone up ever since Mady Maro, the digital creator, put out her expert advice on nutrition: replace cardio workouts with a 30-minute distraction-free walk every day. Babli Yadav, 38, from Bengaluru was introduced to silent walking at a meditation retreat in Navdarshanam.
She walks barefoot without a to-do list and just allows nature to guide her. “For people like us, walking is about connecting with nature. I started in 2018. From being someone who enjoyed talking a great deal, I have slowly transformed into a person who prefers quietitude and authenticity over chaos and clutter. To me, this movement allows stillness.”
CHI WALKING
Cat o’ fine walks
Ever watched a cat hunt a small bird or a rodent? You will see the animal in an extraordinary state of balance, limbs in total co-ordination, breath measured and concentration focussed. That is what Chi walking is all about. Based on a centuries-old principle from T’ai Chi, it simply says shift your workload to the core muscles. It is also called ‘Walk Like a Cat’ and consists of simple steps that anyone can pick up. According to Chinese legend, T’ai Chi was founded by a man called Chang San Feng who studied the movements of two animals in combat: a crane and a mongoose.
These instructions will teach you not only the art of slow movement, but has many other benefits, including improved posture and definitely better energy. This style of walking stresses body alignment and mindfulness while strengthening core muscles. At the beginning, your steps will not resemble those of a cat but once you have acquired the mechanics of the moves, T’ai Chi proves to be very beneficial. It teaches you movement, coordination, harmony, balance and tranquillity.
Unlike push-ups or jogging, T’ai Chi exercises are easy to perform and can be practised anywhere and at any time of the day or evening. Experts say despite the simplicity, many people find it rather confusing. It requires you to keep your head held high on your shoulders and look straight ahead. The centre of gravity needs to be low and your knees slightly bent. You are then supposed to move one foot cautiously off the floor, peeling the sole of the foot slowly from the ground as though it were partially stuck with glue. With one leg raised, begin to place the heel down in front of you, slowly. With your heel now on the ground, roll the rest of the foot forward towards the toes.
Chi Walking does not have to be goal oriented. You are not fighting time nor anybody’s record. It is about opening up to the moment, observing the world as you engage and interact with your surroundings.
RAINBOW WALKING
Seven shades of nature
Delhi-based social worker Shubhangini Upadhyay, 28, came across rainbow walking on Instagram. She immediately decided to give it a try because it promised to add colour to her otherwise mundane life. “It has the power to bring you to a state of calm. The idea is to spot anything in different rainbow colours on your route. It helps in emotional and physical recovery and promotes healing,” Upadhyay says.
Rainbow walks encourage people to confront avoidance behaviour, thus helping them take challenges head-on. Mental health experts also stress the importance of adding colour to your walk routine. “On a rainbow walk, one should have an open mind, as anything one finds may count. It might be a red flower petal, a green leaf, or a blue candy wrapper.
But after completing a few such walks, you might eventually want to make it more challenging, only counting specific findings, such as flower-related pieces. And, of course, always remember to be safe; never get so consumed by trying to find every colour that you don’t pay attention to the moving vehicles. Rainbow walks are also excellent and engaging for kids,” says Upadhyay.
BACKWARD WALKING
The reverse sweep
Delhi student Nimrah Bashir, 22, started backward walking a year ago. She was on a break before college when one of her friends came across a reel on social media that talked about benefits of backward walking. “I took it up. During the first week, I realised going in reverse was no walk in the park,” she says. It burned. Bashir could feel the switch-up in her lower legs in a way she never did with ordinary walking unless she was powering up a hill. There was a mental challenge for her as well. “I had to engage all my senses to ensure I stayed upright and didn’t trip over anything,” she says.
Also known as ‘retro-walking’, therapists and fitness trainers have been talking about its benefits for years. It’s an easy way to burn calories, strengthen your legs, test your coordination, and even reduce pain.
It is an underrated way to engage your glutes and the muscles in your feet and ankles, says fitness trainer Shashwat Banerjee, 30. “The impact of each step reduces the force exerted on the knees and lower back. It is a good exercise because it’s so accessible, and suitable for people of any age and fitness level,” says the Noida-based Banerjee.
Backward walking requires you to stand up straighter than you normally do when walking forward. It creates a new challenge for the muscles in the abdomen, lower limbs and back. Also, your calf muscles will need to work opposite of how they usually do because they don’t contract concentrically making the muscle longer as it bears your body weight.
The challenge can prove to be very beneficial to your overall fitness.
GRUMPY GIRL STOMP
Chanelling the inner child
There are the mindful walking trends and then there is the grumpy girl stomp. As the name says, this is about the grumpy you letting out your negative emotions through walking. Take deliberate strides, walk slow, stomp on the ground and just let it all go.
Content creator Madi Wood gave the world the ‘grumpy girl stomp’ when on a particular day she was in no mood for the ‘hot girl walk’. The latter was last year’s trend that was all about showing off your good looks and attitude while out on a walk. For the ‘hot girl walk’ you had a groovy playlist on your phone to pep you up as you did the walk, putting your best face and figure forward. The ‘grumpy girl walk’ just needs you to put on a hat and a pair of shades and stomp out of the house for a purposeful, gloomy stroll.
Pandey says, “We all have our bad days. Some days we simply do not want to pretend that all is well and yet not want to miss out on our fitness regime. The ‘grumpy girl stomp’ is for such days. It helps you put out your emotions even as you do your thing for the body.” ‘Grumpy’ is not a positive mood, but the ‘grumpy girl stomp’ is a positive exercise. “You go back to your girlhood days, when you would stomp when your parents did not give you that toy you wanted or admonished you for something you did,” he says.
Just think of what’s bothering you and do your stomps telling yourself you are going to be okay every time you plant your feet firmly on the ground. Take a leaf out of the little you from the past who used to do just that at home many years ago.
How Many Steps Does it Count?
Do you really need to take 10,000 steps to reap the benefits of walking? “The goal of 10,000 steps per day was initially created by a marketing campaign,” says Dr Mickey Mehta. A report in JAMA Internal Medicine confirms that this likely originated from the name of the first wearable pedometer that was sold in 1965 by Japanese brand Yamasa Clock and Instrument Company. The pedometer was called ‘Manpo-kei’, which translates to 10,000 steps meter.
What does the science say?
The JAMA study researchers found that for older women, 4,400 steps per day significantly lowered mortality rates compared to taking just 2,700 steps per day. The health benefits eventually levelled out at 7,500 daily steps. In another study, researchers found that those who took more than 7,000 steps per day had better health outcomes than the group that took fewer than 7,000 steps per day. However, there was no significant difference between 7,000 and 10,000 or more steps. Most recently, a study concluded that the optimal number of steps per day was between 9,000 and 10,500—but as few as 4,000 steps could be beneficial too.
What do experts say?
Dr Mickey says, “Any activity is better than no activity. If someone is not active, then ‘as few as 4,000 steps per day’ can have positive effects.”
WALK THE LINE OR DO THE RUN
One, Two, Buckle Your Shoe
The difference between walking and running depends on two things: energy cost and muscle load. A research published in the International Journal of Novel Research and Development in 2022 says, “Walking and jogging and running are excellent forms of cardiovascular exercise. Neither is necessarily ‘better’ than the other.” The choice that’s best for you depends entirely on your fitness and health goals. If you’re looking to lose weight fast, running is a better choice. But walking and jogging can also help maintain a healthy weight.
Benefits
Walking is a great way to start if you are new to exercise and want to get in shape. It is an excellent way to get your heart pumping. This extremely convenient form of exercise doesn’t need preparation or equipment. It is low-impact and easy on your joints.
Running, on the other hand, is the best form of cardio that does not need equipment. It strengthens your muscles and can enhance your mood and general sense of wellbeing. David Linden, professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, says, “When you start out on your run, your body goes through a transition: Your breathing may become heavy, and you might notice your pulse quicken as the heart pumps harder to move oxygenated blood to your muscles and brain. As you hit your stride, your body releases hormones called endorphins. Popular culture identifies these as the chemicals behind ‘runner’s high’, a short-lasting, deeply euphoric state following intense exercise.”
Drawbacks
Walking will help you maintain a lean body, but if you’re someone who’s trying to build muscle, it may not be the best option. In order to burn calories, it is not as effective as other forms of exercise.
Running is not the ideal form of exercise for people with weak joint and back problems. Since it puts a lot of stress on your lower body muscles, it should not be practised by people with orthopaedic problems without consulting an expert.
Walking can only do you good if you do it. Experts suggest it is not the time of day that matters as much as finding the time you can set aside consistently for your workouts. The right time to walk is the time that will fit best into your schedule so you can do it consistently. Choose a time of day that makes building a habit more likely, and work towards it every week. Walking helps improve cardiovascular health, and depending on your age and muscle mass, you can burn up to 250-350 calories in a five-kilometre walk.
Morning walk pros
A brisk walk in the morning helps kickstart your metabolism, ensuring that your body burns calories more efficiently throughout the day. This can be particularly beneficial for those aiming to manage their weight. Exposure to sunlight early in the morning also aids in Vitamin D synthesis. A research journal published in 2012 by ACSM (American College of Sports and Medicine) found reduced attraction to photos of food after a 45-minute brisk morning walk.
Morning walk cons
Body temperature is at its lowest one to three hours before awakening, making the morning a time of naturally lower energy and blood flow. Also, cold and stiff muscles are more prone to injury.
Mid-day walk pros
A brisk walk can improve blood flow to the brain, so you may be sharper in the afternoon. If you usually experience a mid-day slump, this could be beneficial for you. Forming a habit of walking at lunch can help build a consistent routine. Since you are already in the habit of taking a lunch break, adding a walk or some other form of physical activity during this time can build on that existing routine.
Mid-day walk cons
A research published by SciELO Brazil in 2012 says that lung function is worse after noon in people with COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). For an easy walk, a healthy person may not notice the difference, but those with lung problems, a 15-20 per cent difference may be felt.
Evening walk pros
Evening walks are appealing for those who prefer to wrap up their day with a stroll. An evening walk can serve as a powerful stress-reliever. It allows you to unwind, clear your mind and transition from the demands of the day to a more relaxed evening.
Evening walk cons
A walk close to bedtime may interfere with your sleep, resulting in you feeling too stimulated, which can make it harder to fall asleep. It may also expose you to more traffic and air pollution, which are usually higher towards the end of the day.
WALKING MYTHS BUSTED
Walking is for people who can’t run
Walking causes people to break a sweat, and improves cardiovascular fitness and endurance. A study found regular walkers have lower rates of hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes
Walking isn’t an effective exercise for weight loss
When walking for weight loss, try intermittent speed walking at a slow to moderate pace and decreasing the intervals: walk fast for 30 seconds and return to regular pace for four minutes. Repeat four to five times with a cool down in the end. Varying walking speed burns up to 20 per cent more calories
Walking is too mild to need drinking water
Drink a large glass of water about two hours before you start walking. Drinking three to six ounces of water per mile avoids dehydration
You only benefit during the time you are walking
Walking contributes to fitness levels and improves balance and coordination, and strengthens bones and muscles